The present invention relates to the field of vehicle devices, and, more particularly, to a tracking and alerting system for a vehicle.
Motor vehicles, such as passenger cars, trucks, busses, fleet vehicles, etc. are widely used and knowing the locations of such vehicles is often desired. For example, should a vehicle be stolen, it would be beneficial to know the vehicle""s location so that authorities could be promptly and accurately directed to retrieve the vehicle. Indeed, the tracking system could plot the getaway path of the thief.
For a company with hired drivers, it may desirable to know the driver""s whereabouts during the course of the day. Similarly, a rental car agency or other fleet operator, for example, may wish to know the whereabouts of its fleet of vehicles.
It may also be desirable to track the location of a vehicle as it is used throughout the course of a normal day. For parents of younger or older drivers, for example, knowledge of the vehicle""s location may provide some assurance that the driver is at designated locations and following a prescribed route.
A number of patents disclose various systems and approaches to tracking vehicles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,844 discloses a tracking system including a control center and a mobile unit installed in the vehicle. The mobile unit may send security warnings to the command center via a wireless transceiver. Position information for the vehicle is determined using a GPS receiver at the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,043 discloses a similar system which may send one or more preprogrammed telephone messages to a user when away from the vehicle. The user may remotely access location information or cause certain commands to be carried out by entering a personal identification number (PIN).
The widespread availability and use of the Internet has prompted a number of vehicle tracking systems to also make use of the Internet. For example, TelEvoke, Inc. proposed such a system in combination with Clifford Electronics. The system was to provide notification, control and tracking services via the telephone or the Internet. Users could be notified via phone, e-mail, or pager of events such as a car alarm being triggered. Users could control the vehicle remote devices via phone, web, or PDA such as unlocking car doors. Additionally, users could track TelEvoke-enabled vehicles on the Internet or via the telephone. An Internet map could be viewed by the user showing the actual and prior vehicle locations. TelEvoke offered its services via a centralized fully automated Network Operations Center. To reduce the communications costs, it was proposed to use the control channel of the cellular telephone network.
Many conventional vehicle tracking units include many input and output connections. Accordingly, such units may be difficult to install in a vehicle. This is especially so since the space available to access and connect to vehicle wires is likely to be restricted. Accordingly, errors in the initial installation may occur. Accurate diagnosis of any such errors may be time consuming and add further to the installation costs. Maintenance of an installed system may also be complicated if each connection must be individually checked and rechecked.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle tracking system and related method which permits easier installation and maintenance.
This and other objects, features and advantages in accordance with the present invention are provide by a vehicle tracking system including a vehicle tracking unit and a monitoring station communicating therewith. The vehicle tracking unit preferably includes a test switch, a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller. The controller is preferably for operating the at least one vehicle device, and for cooperating with the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device to determine and send vehicle position information to the monitoring station. Moreover, the controller may be switchable to a test mode for test operation of the at least one vehicle device responsive to activation of the test switch. Accordingly, an installer, for example, can quickly check that the tracking unit has been properly installed.
The at least one vehicle device may be a plurality of vehicle devices that are tested by operation in sequence. The at least one vehicle device may comprise at least one door lock actuator. The at least one vehicle device may also comprise a starter interrupt device, or an engine starter if remote starting is an implemented feature. Also, the at least one vehicle device may comprise an alarm indicator.
To further provide for ready determination of proper operation of the vehicle tracking unit, one or both of the position determining and wireless communications devices may comprise an indicator associated therewith relating to proper operation thereof. The indicator may indicate a mode of operation of the device, its proper operation, or a partial or complete failure of the device.
Another aspect of the invention is that the controller may have a selectable polarity for the at least one vehicle device based upon sensing thereof. Accordingly, a predetermined activation of the test switch may cause the controller to sense and select the proper polarity. For example, pressing the test switch for a predetermined time or in a predetermined pattern may sense and set the polarity.
The vehicle position determining device may comprise a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, for example. In addition, the wireless communications device may comprise a cellular telephone communications device, such as operating over the control channel. The monitoring station may comprise a user interface, such as an Internet interface, and/or a telephone network interface.
A method aspect of the invention is for operating a vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type including at least one operable vehicle device. The vehicle tracking unit preferably comprises a test switch, a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller for operating the at least one vehicle device. The method preferably comprises switching the controller to a test mode for test operation of the at least one vehicle device responsive to activation of the test switch. The method may also include using the controller in cooperation with the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device to determine and send vehicle position information to a monitoring station.